See what others have to say about OfficialWhistle development camps
"I wanted to thank you letting me be a part of your camp. It was nice to be there. I learned a lot from your staff and The evaluators. Thanks for opening your home up to us as well. Looking forward to it next year.
Talk to you soon."
- Kevin Scottie Eklund
"I want to thank you for such a great camp experience. The ratio of staff to campers left me with an abundance of learning opportunities. There was never a time that I came off The court hand had less than 2 staff members ready to give me tips and advice on improving my skills. In addition to the great learning experience, you provide a sense of family that is extremely commendable; especially in this dog eat dog profession we are in. I look forward to hopefully seeing you, and applying all that you and your staff has taught me.
Thank you again."
- Cory Fish
"I would like to take this time to thank you for allowing me to attend your camp at The Beach on such short notice. I left the camp with a wealth of knowledge that will stay with me throughout my officiating career."
- Jenique Tyler
"The camp was more than I imagined it would be in every way. I need to work on a lot of areas of my officiating, but mechanics is a fundamental necessity that I view differently now.
Getting to know Monte and Robert was priceless. Being exposed to their years of knowledge and speaking to them freely about what ever came to mind was such a privilege. Watching games with them as they commented seemed to be infectious and added a new dimension to viewing the game. I had just accepted mechanics as correct instead of really knowing. It was like watching the game with a human manual. Also, the level of critique and constructive criticism given by your crew was spectacular. I came away with so much to work on and advice on how to change bad habits. Susie Woo was especially gracious with information and I will always be grateful for that. Everyone was so pleasant and helpful and of course, you can count on me coming back next year. Thanks again for a great experience and the opportunity to grow as an official."
- Patricia Iversen
"Just wanted to say thanks for a great camp...the staff was top notch and the "tune up" I received was needed. Thanks also for your hospitality and dinner at your home. Thanks again...hope you have time to rest before the next event."
- Tom Kelly
"I wanted to say thank you for having me at your camp this past week. I had a blast and look forward to sharing what I've learned with other Bay Area officials. Thanks again, for having food throughout this camp and inviting me to your lovely home. I appreciate your kindness and hope to see and talk with you soon. Thanks!"
- Clifford
"It was wonderful meeting you and your crew yesterday. Just wanted to write a quick note to you to tell you what a great day it was, and I am looking forward to coming all 3 days next year. Thank you for welcoming me into your home, you have such a warm and welcoming personality, it is no wonder you have so many people by your side to make this camp a success. Be in touch!"
- Kristen Reaves
"I am so grateful for the experience! I learned a lot again this year and continued to get better with the help of the great staff, and also the honored guests. Eric Kutas, Rich Waters, Brenda Pantoja, Monty, Jerry Ousley, Eric Thome, and Dee Hernandez were all very helpful to me in particular not letting me get to comfortable and always expecting more from me. I cherish every chance I get to work in front of such people so I can keep getting better every game! But I have to thank you most of all because without you being the person you are I definitely wouldn't have been at camp this year. It means a great deal to me and makes me want to work even harder for someone I know is there for me as more than just a camp administrator. You are truly a great person with a huge heart and I am in your debt! If you are to ever need anything from me, I will be there! Thanks again! Thanks so much again!"
-Jon Nave
"This is a great camp format with on court work and classroom instruction from some of the best and most talented officials working on the West Coast. I think it is especially good to get written feedback after the on court sessions. You can look and see if there are any trends in what the observers are telling you. With all the information you receive verbally, the written notes also help in remembering skills that you want to work on or behaviors that you want to correct. The opportunity to build relationships as a result of your camp format with work in the gym and then social events afterwards is also most valuable. Great food! Great handouts!"
- Jim Sandner
"I wanted to say thank you again for allowing me the opportunity to officiate during your camp. I thank you for your honesty during our conversation. I'm going to continue to work hard and apply the feedback that I received from the instructors. I love the feel of a family environment group and can't wait to be apart of it. Thank you again and i'll see you on the court."
- Tommy Owens
"Thank you so much for another year of hard work, fun, great staffing with experience and learning. I have never been disappointed. Look forward to coming next year and working for you. I also appreciate your continuing support."
- Teyonye Mosley
"Just a quick email to let you know it was a pleasure to attend your camp. I learned a lot and enjoyed networking even though I could not run the floor. Your camp proved to be stimulating and allowed officials to learn as well as network. Your staff and caliber of officials you had observe at the courts were awesome. The feedback I observed from the many different officials was constructive and positive which created a non-threatening environment for the campers. This allowed for learning to be at the optimum level. I, in fact, learned so much by listening to your excellent staff's observations. I am determined to apply some of these suggestions to my game. Thank you for such a great camp."
- Sue
"I didn’t have the chance to say this in person during the CCAA camp, but I wanted to thank you for your feedback and support duringThe Beach and CCAA camps this past week. I especially wanted to thank you for opening up your home to us campers. That was very generous of you. I appreciated that very much."
- Dave Regan
"Just wanted to stop by and say thank you for the arrangements and the hospitality in Long Beach. We had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed everyone's company. Looking forward to the next time."
- Scott, Jennifer, Ej and Emery
"I really enjoyed The Beach Camp. Thanks for all your hard work and to all the people that helped you. It was a rewarding experience."
- Mark Sawyer
"I have been trying to figure out why I like The Beach so much. I think I have finally put my finger on the three things I like best. First of all, when I pay money to go to a camp I want to learn new stuff. I can read the book and understand what it says, but when I go to camp I want to be taught the subtle things that make the polished refs look so good and be in control all of the time. I want to know what they do to apply the mechanics in the book to game situations. It’s different when someone tells you what to do versus when someone shows you how to do it. This is the only camp I have attended where the observers and evaluators get out there and work. Being able to watch their mechanics and court coverage and how they keep a game under control is invaluable. I hope they don't mind, but I try and steal something form everyone I watch work.
The second thing is the people. I was so relieved when I was listening to Lisa and Norma's presentation and, after listening to a situation that occurred the day before, they said "that’s a really hard play to cover and call." THANK YOU!! Just the acknowledgement that no matter how much experience you have, you will still have some situations that are difficult to cover and call, lifted a big weight off my shoulders.
The third thing is the dinners at the end of the day. To have a chance to sit and talk about life and get to know your fellow official is really unique. It's fun to hear about their kids, careers, vacations, hobbies, etc., and share life experiences.
Thanks again for all you do. I know you have a lot of help, but you are the face of the camp and your kindness and personality set the tone that makes it such an excellent learning experience."
- Don Ellsworth